Secrets
by shinedown
Summary: "Hey, let me tell you a secret!" Those were the words that had started this whole mess. Those words were the bait, and she was the fisherman, reeling him into a world unknown to him. A world where there were more consequences than rewards. AU Ryan/Lire fic. Enjoy ! Slight Hiatus...Sorry!
1. Let Me Tell You A Secret!

"Hey, let me tell you a secret!"

Those were the words that had started this whole mess. Those words, as if sheltering a promise to reveal the forbidden, innermost workings of a young girl's heart, did nothing but bring pain to the one he secretly loved.

It was an innocent gesture at most, he realized, looking back on the whole ordeal. But what had been innocent became the very thing he hated most, and his natural curiosity brought many things upon him that he would have been better off not knowing. This was one of those many things.

"Sometimes, even a love that seems hopeless may also bear fruit. The only question one should ask themselves is, is it worth it?" That cryptic message had imprinted itself in his mind from the very start, making him question things he had never even bothered to. Normally very confident in both himself and his looks, Ryan became insecure more and more as he compared himself to the other boys in their school.

First there was the hot-headed but very cool Aerknard Sieghart, a real jerk at first, but after a while you begin to see the meaning to the things he says and does. He's a real hit with the ladies for his almost rebellious attitude when the truth of the matter was, he was just lazy and indifferent. He was a huge flirt though, and often was the one teasing his cousin, Elesis about her looks everyday. Those two never got along.

Then there was Jin, the captain of the Martial Arts club. He was every girl's dream: smart, good looking, athletic, chivalrous and a foreigner of all things. He even had an accent! How could Ryan compete with that?! But of course, there was no other girl for him than the Student Council Treasurer and lead singer in the school's choir, Amy Aruha.

Then there was also Ronan Erudon, a rich kid with quite a bit of popularity as well. He only just transferred a month ago, and already there were girls piling up by the door of the classroom just to see him! He was a genius, handsome, elegant, knightly, and had long hair that was to die for (apparently).

After that was Dio Burning Canyon, a goth with a mouth. He was just misunderstood, but because of this, many people sympathized with him, Ryan included. He already had a girlfriend, but there was nothing he wasn't, according to what most girls said about him. He was dreamy, in a dark way. He was a sort of Dark Knight, one who didn't play by the rules of the traditional Knight In Shining Armor, which was appealing in it's own way. He had long hair, wore an accessory on his head that looked like horns and had a real snobbish attitude, almost as if he came from a rich family. the more Ryan thought about it, the less likely it was true (but yet it was, little did he know..).

Following him was Zero, a rather odd fellow who seemed too innocent to know what the hell was going on. He didn't seem to really care what gender the person was that held on to him, he blushed furiously at the contact anyway and seemed almost childish in a way. He was also mildly insane, mumbling to himself about a person named "Gran" who people could only assume was his grandparent. He could be rather aggressive when Gran let him be, which most girls would say was really cool.

Last but not least there was Lass Isolet, a very quiet individual who tended to space out and ignore almost anyone nearby. He was constantly teased about his name, but he would nonchalantly shrug it off and continue tuning out the world. He was pretty cute, according to what the girls said, almost like a child. He was smart, a straight A student and the way he got around unnoticed was a bit creepy. No one really noticed he was there unless he said something, which within itself was very rare. He hardly spoke to anyone other than Arme, his childhood friend, but even then he only said a few words at a time.

Ryan had no place amongst the more popular boys, so there was no question in his mind that his crush would fall for one of them. After all, he was an impish boy who had the attitude of a laid back surfer. His hair was messy, his tattoos were tacky and uncool and according to everyone else, he was a hippie for loving nature. He couldn't help the fact that he was raised in a forest by his parents who were obsessed with the old ways! He was rather proud of his tattoos too! They marked him as a Sentinel, apparently, a guardian of the forests. He was proud if who he was!

His pride fell as he thought of her, the girl of his dreams. Lire Eryuell. She was perfect! Smart, pretty, had a great body, a real sweetheart AND she loved nature as much as he did! She was part of the gardening club and planted new flowers all around school every day. She was also captain of the Archery team and lead them to win the national tournament 3 years in a row! She was amazing!

And yet here he was, fantasizing about her on his lunch break as he mumbled to himself. He kicked a loose rock as he sighed, unaware that he was being followed by anyone. "If only love was simple..." He sighed.

X xx X

Hiding behind a tree with a slight blush on her face, a blonde girl held a tiny box to her chest as his words drifted to her ears. "Love, huh?" She muttered to herself, her curiosity making her wonder who he had been thinking about. Whoever it was, she must've been an amazing girl. She'd be very lucky too, for he was an interesting person, and had an interesting personality. He loved nature, so he did anything he could to protect even small flowers no one really noticed. He never struck anyone, no matter how poorly they treated him and being slightly impish, he always pulled pranks to get back at them to varying degrees. He had the most amazing eyes and his tattoos looked really cool! They made him look like some ancient hero from all the stories she read as a little girl.

"I wonder who you love?" She muttered quietly, never taking her eyes off of him, even for a moment. So lost in her thoughts of him, she hadn't noticed that her two closest friends had snuck up on her. As a dreamy sigh escaped her, a tiny hand pulled on her hair gently, alerting the Junior that someone was behind her. She squeaked slightly and turned to face the two other girls, her face bright red, hiding the box she had been holding behind her back. "O-oh hey you two! I-is it time to go home already?"

"Lire's blushing. And stuttering. Odd." The red head said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Very odd." A shorter violet haired girl said, her eyes mimicking that of her taller rival's, though neither bothered to mention that it had been a first that they ever agreed on anything. "What are you hiding?"

"N-none of your business!" Lire screeched, covering her mouth the next instant and hoping that the young man in the distance looking around in confusion didn't notice her voice and try to look for her. An evil smirk appeared on both girl's faces at her odd behavior, but, not wanting to continue the conversation, Lire brushed past them forcefully, saying not a word as she did so.

As she made her way to her classroom to collect her things, a small smile appeared on her face. "Love, huh?" She asked, digging in her pocket and gently caressing the precious gift she had been meaning to give to her orange haired crush. "Well, tomorrow's Valentine's Day. I'll give it to him then. Does he like chocolate?"

The walk home from school have been relatively quiet, as their main source of conversation was smiling dumbly to herself as she planned ahead for the following day. She stopped at a store nearby and bought some chocolae with the money she had left of her allowance, alerting the redhead who blushed and followed suit. Arme, on the other hand, merely teased Elesis, earning a painful whack on the head via recently bought chocolate.

"And why aren't you buying any, midget?" Elesis grumbled, noticing that the shorter girl was the only one not worrying.

"Because, he's allergic." The girl answered, nonchalantly. "And besides, there's no one I particularly like well enough to give chocolate to anyway, except you two and Lire's on a diet. You on the other hand..."

"Yeah? What about me?"

"You could stand to lose a few pounds. It'd go straight to your thighs anyway." Arme spoke mischievously, angering the redhead but deftly dodging the blow aimed at her head as she ducked into the gate of her home and waved goodbye to her two friends. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Yeah, you too! This is my stop." Lire spoke, waving goodbye to Elesis who grumbled to herself. "Don't let what she said get to you. You're lovely the way you are."

"Keep talking like that and I might just go gay for you." Elesis spoke dramatically, faking a blush and feigning embarrassment.

"That's the plan." Lire winked, earning a real blush from the taller girl and a swat on the arm.

That night, as she lay in bed thinking, Lire couldn't help feeling nervous about what she was going to say. She had already spent the past few years hiding her feelings from the boy, and each year, confessing got harder and harder to do. She didn't want him to think she was some sort of stalker, and she certainly didn't want to think of what would happen if he turned her down. But of course, She knew that Elesis would just push her to trying anyway or just confessing in her place, like she had several times before. With a heavy sigh, she turned over in her bed, holding the stuffed doll she had created in his likeness. There was one for all of her friends, even Zero, though she hadn't spoken to the boy much. "Tomorrow will be a good day. I'm sure of it." With that thought on her mind, she closed her eyes, sinking into the realm of blissful dreams.


	2. Misunderstandings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grand Chase. All I own is this plot, and this fic which was not created to earn any sort of profit. Heh. Enjoy~!**

2: Misunderstandings

Valentine's Day.

Normally one would look forward to getting chocolates, and a time when confessions usually happened all around school. For Ryan, it was just another day. He personally had nothing against the day itself, in fact he encouraged the act of baking something for that certain someone and giving it to the one they secretly loved. With that level of devotion, any man would be lucky to have gotten something.

Indeed, as he watched others from his seat in the classroom, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of the others, Ronan especially, who was bombarded by gifts the moment he entered the classroom. The blue haired rich kid merely smiled warmly at his admirers and thanked them kindly, while giving them each a hug and a peck on the cheek or the nose. One girl got so bold as to try and kiss him on the lips, only to be stopped by a rather angry red head. Ryan grinned. Things didn't look so good for the poor girl.

"Here," he heard her utter from his seat across the room, throwing a rather large wrapped block in the boy's face, knocking all others out of his arms as he attempted to catch it. Ryan chuckled at the scene, knowing Elesis well enough to know that she wasn't the type of person to like just anyone. The thing that confused him was, why Ronan? Those two never got along and argued every chance they got. Well, whatever. No use thinking about it too much.

"Jealous?" He heard a voice say next to him. Looking over to seer who it was, he wasn't at all surprised to see Arme. She was really the only person who spoke to him, besides Zero. Ryan shrugged, suddenly finding the clouds outside the most interesting thing ever. "Come on, don't be so cold! I just wanted to talk."

"I'm not jealous." Ryan lied, though he wouldn't admit to it. Arme shrugged anyway and placed something on his head. He didn't bother to look at what it was. He could already guess just by the weight alone. "Consolation chocolate? That's so not you, Arme."

"Perhaps, but neither is you sulking." She spoke, sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"I'm not sulking." Ryan pouted, though he knew she was right. He was always in a terrible mood during this day, even if he held an air of general indifference upon seeing others getting what they want and fulfilling their hearts desires, his dream, and the one desire of his heart would forever be out of reach. At least, that's what he always told himself. He felt an hand tugging on his sleeve and looked up to see Arme gesturing towards the door of the class room. He looked over to see Elesis waving him over. Confused, he got up from his seat and went to see what it was that she wanted. "Can I help you?"

"Come with me." She said, dragging the boy along before he could protest or ask where to. He knew he must've looked weird to the other students who watched as he was pulled along by the collar, but ignored them as she started grumbling to herself. "-I mean really, how hard is it to approach a guy and-"

"Um, Ms. Sieghart? What are you talking about?" Ryan asked sheepishly, hoping she wouldn't get agitated that he was eavesdropping (though he didn't really have much of a choice) and possibly hit him. She merely looked back at him with a wicked grin, which shut him up, much to her amusement and relief. Ryan gulped. He certainly hoped he wouldn't be used as a practice dummy of something for her kendo practice. He shut his eyes, fearing the worst.

"What're you closing your eyes for, ya big chicken? Open up, or you'll miss the big surprise!" Elesis ordered, and Ryan obeyed in a heartbeat. She turned a corner, led him up a flight of stairs to the club wing and down the hall and into an empty classroom where, much to his surprise, Lire was waiting, a bright blush forming on her face at the sight of her best friend and er crush. "Ta da! I'm gonna wait outside. Try not to suck each other's faces off, okay?"

"E-ele!" Lire squeaked, earning a light chuckle from the girl, but nothing more. The door slammed shut, leaving the two confused teens together in a very, VERY awkward silence. "S-so...um..."

"Is...there something I can help you with? Maybe you need help in your classes?"

"N-no, that's not it."

"Stomach ache?"

"...Excuse me?"

"Yeah, that was kinda lame. Um..."

"How would you...confess your feelings to someone? You personally?" Lire asked, her blush brightening, as she looked down at her feet. Ryan took the time to notice her posture. She looked cute, shyly looking down at the ground with her arms behind her back. Her hair, which normally fell way past her shoulders unbound, was neatly braided and slung over her shoulder, bound by green ribbons in several places, each with a white flower on it. She looked...beautiful. Who would've guessed that a girl like her could be as shy as this? Talk about being shell shocked.

"Well...I'm not sure. I've never thought of confessing before." Ryan lied, shrugging. Lire looked up at him, confused, causing him to look away instead, a small blush on his own face. "I guess you could try a straightforward approach, or maybe leave hints? I don't know. Why?"

"Well...there's this guy," Lire said with a small smile, her eyes closing as she got lost in thought. Ryan grimaced "He's really lazy, sleeps in class, doesn't study, always finding ways to get out of P.E and very laid back. He's always forgetting his homework, he disappears during lunch time and he never stays for cleaning duty and doesn't take part in any clubs that I know of."

"Sounds like a handful." Ryan uttered, his heart sinking into his stomach. _Also sounds very much like Areknard._ He thought bitterly, frowning slightly.

"He is, but he does have some good points. For instance, he organized the plant seeds every day after school, he has a gentle aura that makes you relax just being near him, he sings, he's strong, reliable and it's easy to depend on him, especially if you need something from him that no one else is willing do. He's good with his hands, light on his feet and is always calm."

"I see. Sounds like a good guy." _That's pretty much Ronan for you..._ his inner self grumbled, rolling its eyes.

"He certainly is. That's why it's so hard to confess to him. He's so great, even if others don't think so. I-"

"I think I get the picture." Ryan grinned. "You need help confessing to someone, right? Then I'll help you out!" Lire stared at him blankly. "What? What's with that deadpan look? That's the reason you called me up here for, right? So, who's the lucky guy?"

Lire sighed, hanging her head. "This is hopeless...I can't even say it."

"Well, lunch break's just about over, so we'll pick this up some other time. How about we meet up aftrer school and I'll take you to my place? We can discuss the details there. I'll see you later!" Ryan said, hurrying out the room as fast as he could just as the bell rang to end the lunch period.

Elesis entered the room, a little afraid that Lire might break down, considering how quickly she had seen Ryan jet out of the room. "Hey...you okay? How did it go?" Elesis asked as she watched the blond haired girl slowly face palm and start laughing. Elesis lightly tapped her on the head with her knuckles, goth amused and confused at her friend's reaction. "Um...earth to Lire. I don't think that's a sad expression."

"I'm not sad, i'm just...he got the wrong idea!" Lire laughed. Elesis stared blankly at her, still confused. "He thinks i'm trying to confess to someone else. But at least one good thing is coming of it, I'm going to his house later today. Beat that!"

"...Let's not compare our successes and failures, hm?" Elesis uttered, pushing her friend out of the room an down to the classroom.

X xx X xx X xx X xx X

On the outskirts of the city, there was an an expansive forest, stretching for miles and miles. No vehicles passed here, and no one dared enter, for fear of the monsters that lurked deem within the creepy, murky darkness that seemed to swallow you. Looking back at the girl visibly shaking as she took a single, shaky step into the forest, Ryan smiled a little evilly. "are you sure you want to follow me? You know the legends of this place, right? Once you pass these trees, you'll be eaten alive by scary monsters and never seen again!" Ryan said dramatically, startling the girl back onto the concrete sidewalk where her red haired friend shook her head as Lire clung to her tightly.

"You shouldn't say things like that. She scares easily." Elesis remarked, prying the girl off of her and shooing her towards the boy standing only a few feet away with a slight smile, holding out a hand for her to take. "Call me when you want to head back, okay? I'll come pick you up."

"O-okay.." Lire mumbled, taking Ryan's hand and let him lead her into the waiting abyss. What she found though, was a world that no one had ever known about. Through the leaves, the last rays of sunset shone down, casting shadows that looked rather menacing, but as Ryan led her by the hand, she wasn't so scared. "I bet it looks really pretty here during the day."

"It does. At least then you can see all the flowers and the grass and stuff. Don't worry though, once the moon comes up, you'll want to stay the night." Ryan spoke confidently, a slight, almost wistful smile on his face. Lire couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that, but decided not to question it.

The walk was a quiet one; a very heavy, awkward silence hung over them and seemed to suffocate any chance they had at holding a conversation. Ryan settled for humming something he had heard on the radio and Lire recited poetry in her head to pass the time. She didn't know how much time had passed, but before long, they came upon a small shack, and the smell smoked meat filled her nostrils. Ryan ushered her inside and turned on lantern before he scooted about, setting things up to get some decent lighting.

From what Lire could slowly make out, the cabin was just one large room, holding a rolled up futon in one corner by a fire place, a large oak desk littered with papers and pencils, an overflowing hamper situated next to it and beside that was a chest which she assumed held all of his clothes. The sink was right across from the door, piled high with dirty dishes, but other than that, the rest of the cabin was relatively clean. The one thing that bothered her was the lack of a bathroom, to which Ryan chuckled. "Bushes." He joked, gesturing towards the bushes not far away, causing Lire to blush and smack him. "...I deserved that. In all seriousness, there's a privy out back. Dad doesn't believe in plumbing."

Lire took a seat at the desk, as Ryan pulled out the futon and lit the fireplace. "How can you live like this? It doesn't seem very comfortable.."

"It's not at first, but you get used to it after a while." Ryan shrugged, taking a seat on the still rolled futon. "Ive always lived like this though. It's not so bad, once you get used to it. It's actually pretty cool too. Dad takes me out hunting and fishing, we chop wood together, go swimming and every once in a while when he comes by, we just sit down and just cook, talk and have a laugh."

"What about your mom?"

"She died when I was a kid, so I don't really remember her too much. Dad says she was a real pretty woman with blonde hair. He doesn't keep pictures." Ryan answered. "Anyway, enough about that. About your trouble with confessing-"

"Here, wanna try one?" Lire cut him off, opening the box eagerly, revealing white chocolates of all shaped and sizes. Ryan smiled and reached for some, taking two that looked like stars. "I-It's just a taste test, all right! I wanna make sure they taste good enough so he doesn't wind up hating them!"

Ryan smiled and popped one in his mouth, a smile instantly forming on his face. That is, until he took a bite. His face paled almost instantly and in a raspy voice he asked, "Um..what kind of nuts are in these?"

"Macadamia, why?"

"...I'm allergic..."

"How allergic?"

"Get me to a hospital. Now."

**A/N: Dun duun Duuuuuun! Cliffy~! I'm not sure how many more chapters of this I'm gonna write, bit it's kinda fun. Let me know your thoughts/ideas! I'm always open to suggestions! Till next time!**

**~shine**


	3. Recovery and Confession

**Disclaimer: Grand Chase ain't mine. Trust me, you'd know ;D**

It always amused Lire how strong she could be under pressure. When she was nine and Elesis had cut her foot open with one of her father's swords, the blonde girl had been calm and explained everything to him as they rushed her to the hospital. When they were 11 and had gotten involved in a traffic accident because Arme decided to be daring and cross the street during a red light, though shaken up a bit, she had called for an ambulance and had the girl rushed to the E.R.

But now, all she wanted to do was cry.

She hadn't known he was deathly allergic to Macadamia nuts! She had merely wanted to try out a recipe her mother had given her, and she had learned years ago that the boy loved white chocolate. If she had known that THIS of all things would've happened, she would've dropped the nuts in a heartbeat and left them plain.

Elesis and Arme sat on either side of her as she leaned her head in her hands and did breathing exercises to keep her rising guilt and shame to a minimum. Sheepishly, she looked up at the tall, burly man standing directly in front of her in the hallway. She was truly grateful that she had come on a day that the man was supposed to visit, because she certainly wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time. She was nowhere near as strong as he was.

He seemed rather intimidating, as if he was ready to lash out at anyone who spoke to him. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he looked a little wild, and the thick beard made him look like a professional trained killer who spent his days honing his skills in the wild. Or maybe that was just Arme's wild imagination infecting her brain for the moment, she couldn't really say for sure. He looked over at the three girls, his eyes seeming to pierce right through them and freeze their insides.

"I don't think he likes us..." Elesis muttered quietly, though she wasn't at all afraid of the man. She smiled at him and waved, earning a slight frown from the man who then ignored her, looking down the hall, expecting a doctor to come deliver the news. It had been hours since they heard anything, and Lire couldn't stand it.

"It's late. Go home." The man said, looking away from them. Even though Lire didn't want to go, she was sure that her parents must be worried about her. She sighed and stood up, letting Arme drag her gently by the arm. She was worried. Beyond worried. Because of her, he was stuck in the hospital.

She hoped he'd be okay. It'd be lonely at school without seeing his face.

X xx X xx X xx X xx

Ryan stretched his limbs gingerly, all the tubes and wires made it hard to do too much, and he was sick of it. At least he had gotten a bed by a window though. He couldn't help but think he'd been in a hospital before though. He had tried asking his dad, but the older man had shoved apple slices in his mouth before he could finish his thought. It seemed suspicious, but Ryan decided to leave it alone.

He wondered how Lire was doing. From what his dad had told him, she was extremely worried about him and had even offered to stay by his side, despite having school. But that wasn't the confusing part. He had felt someone holding his hand the entire time he had rested, but by the time he woke up, the person was gone. Even his dad was gone, though Ryan wasn't as worried about him. His dad wasn't the sentimental sort.

Even more confusing was that he had gotten visitors. From his school. People he didn't even talk to or ignored him, no less. The most surprising was Lass, who had only come because Arme forced him, but he was a good kid and Ryan liked his company at least. He didn't say much to him, and Lass had eaten all the apples before leaving, but Ryan didn't mind.

Then came Sieghart, who was friendly enough, though he had made fun of Ryan a bit for his allergy, but he was also very nice and told him to take it easy. He even offered to bring him the homework he had missed Ryan had been informed earlier that he had been out cold for a few days.

Dio never showed up, but Zero had and he chatted with Ryan for a while, sometimes stopping to argue with "Gran". Despite that though, He was nice enough and he offered to be friends with Ryan, who accepted with a rather dramatic, teary thanks. "...you're very strange." Zero had said, breaking out in a fit of laughter from his new friend's antics. "But I guess that's okay. Doubtless you think so of me as well. Still, take it easy. Gran says it's time to head home and do my homework." With that, Zero left, and Ryan had fallen asleep.

When he woke up again, Lire stood over him with a relieved smile. "Oh good, you're not dead." She joked, chuckling lightly. Ryan smiled slightly and sat up, though he didn't find her joke very funny. "Sorry, I shouldn't have joked like that, considering your current state. Are you hungry?"

"Not really, no." Ryan spoke softly, his heart dropping into his stomach again. Why was it always like this? Why was she always by his side, even though she surely had someone she cared for? Why did she go out of her way to help him? Was she pitying him? Was she simply repaying her debt or satisfying her guilt for nearly killing him? "So, how did it go? Did you manage to confess to him?"

"Huh? Oh, that..no, I didn't. I didn't have the chance to." Lire said, waving off his concern.

"How come?" Ryan asked, shifting slightly in the bed. Lire shook her head, a slight blush tainting her cheeks. Ryan laughed, causing Lire to stare at him angrily, though it did little to stop Ryan's laughter. "Who knew such a cute girl was so shy? If you don't open your mouth and say it, he'll never know."

"I dropped hints, but he's so thick-headed it's almost frustrating." Lire grumbled, pouting and crossing her arms. Ryan nodded as if understanding.

"If you've dropped hints and he hasn't noticed, maybe it's because you're being too subtle? You gotta try doing something he'll definitely notice. So, do you know anything this person likes? I could help you out." Ryan stated. Lire nodded somewhat, her blush reddening as Ryan's gaze became more focused on her now. In this time he noticed that she wasn't wearing her school uniform, but rather a pale yellow spaghetti strap shirt, blue shorts and sandals. Even in casual clothes, she was beautiful, and Ryan couldn't help staring longer than he knew he should've. _She's beautiful..._ Ryan though, a wry smile crossing his face, confusing Lire. "Anyway, on to those likes of theirs."

"W-well...I don't really know much else, except that he likes white chocolate and being out in nature.." Lire admitted, hiding her face in embarrassment, earning another chuckle from Ryan. "Shut up! What bout you, then, oh wise guru of love?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing special, just a small crush" Ryan said, nervously scratching the back of his head. Lire narrowed his eyes at him, not believing him and he began to sweat a little. "W-why do you wanna know, anyway?"

"Because, you're going out of your way to help me, I might as well return the favor. So, spill it!" Lire spoke excitedly, but Ryan simply shook his head. "Aw, why not? It wouldn't be fair if only I managed to confess to the boy I like if you couldn't admit your feelings to that girl."

"It's not that important. Anyway, I'll take you up on that offer and talk to you tomorrow. I'm getting sleepy." Ryan lied, laying back down in bed and turning away from Lire. He heard her sigh and say her goodbyes before leaving, though he felt her presence linger by the door for a moment. He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh and fell into a fitful sleep soon after.

X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X x

The following week went by quickly for Ryan, who recovered quickly and was able to get back to school within three days of his last visit with Lire. Several things were off when he returned to school, the first of many being that people actually talked to him. Aerknard clapped him on the back roughly with each meeting, and chatted with him a bit about what went on at school while he was away, and after that, he was assaulted by a hyperactive pinkette who wouldn't shut up about his haircut. All in all, it was pleasant to be a part of a social...thing, but it was also pretty tiring too.

As he sat down at his seat in home room, Arme approached him with a slight smile. "Welcome back. Who knew the silent, estranged hippie was deathly allergic to macadamia nuts?" She asked, sitting at the desk in front of his as Ryan stared out the window. "Thinking about Lire?"

"...I'm too tired to argue with you, so I may as well just say it, right? Yes, I am." He replied, not even bothering to look at the now smirking violet haired prankster. "But it's no use, is it? I can think about her all I want, but she'd never fall for a guy like me."

"Who says? You're a good guy." Arme said, trying her best to hide her amusement as she looked up at her blonde friend now blushing furiously. "Let's say. Hypothetically of course, that she did like you back. What then?"

"I'd be ecstatic, I guess. I mean, I've liked her since grade school when I first transferred here. She was the first person who spoke to me, she laughed at my stupid jokes, and she didn't judge me when i'd get upset with someone for carelessly trampling on flowers. She used to help me plant new flowers, and would always talk to me about a garden she wanted to create someday with all the most beautiful flowers in the world." Ryan said, still not noticing the extra presence behind him, nor did he notice that the class had gone silent as soon as he started talking. All he noticed was the rather wistful smile he had on his face and the memories he'd thought he'd long forgotten. "In middle school, she told me she wanted to open up a flower shop and hoped i'd work with her, or even for her."

"She never told me anything about that." Arme pouted, but dropped it at her friend's glare. "What's her favorite flower?"

"Violets."

"Colors?"

"Green and Orange."

"Her favorite type of music?"

"Classical – why are you asking me these things?" Ryan asked, looking up at Arme, who he noticed had a knowing grin on her face, but couldn't understand why. When she motioned to his right, Ryan looked over to see Lire standing there, a textbook in her hands and a stack of papers. It took him a while to notice that she was blushing too. "Oh, hey. D-did you hear all that?" Lire nodded. _Fuck. What now? Think, crazy hippie, think!_

"Not only did she hear it, but I imagine her heart's pounding at the thought of her crush having a crush on her too." Arme said, chuckling softly. "I'll leave you two alone now. Ele's gonna love this!"

Ryan sat awkwardly for a moment, staring down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs, hoping Lire would say something at least. She stayed silent though, and when he looked up at her, she blushed even more and looked away hastily. _She really if shy.._ Ryan thought, grinning. Still, it wouldn't do to have her standing for so long, so he dragged her to the seat her shorter friend he occupied and sat her down in it, then he opened the textbook, took a sheet of paper and started studying.

When Lire finally managed to say something, Ryan cut her off, forcing the paper he had worked on in her face. "I don't understand problem 14." He said. She smiled faintly. At least he was kind enough to distract her from her thoughts, which at the time had been but a single phrase: _He likes me!_

"Well first you substitute x here and then..."

**A/N: Sooo...here's chapter...3? I think? I'm pretty sure it's chapter 3 anyway XD anywho, this was tough to write, having rewritten it like 5 times and trying to think of a proper title for it. So yeah. I hope you guys like it and hopefully I get more views and reviews. It takes effort to write these, and support really does work wonders. Just sayin. Anyway, The next chapter will probably be the last one. My muse, who usually has a gun to my PSP and forcing me to write, has gotten lazy and the ideas just aren't really pouring out anymore. Remember, Reviews are love and good little boys and girls get apple gummies- /shot**

**Till next time**

**~shine**


	4. First Date, Birthdays and White Day

**Disclaimer: Trust me, you really don't want me to own GC. Just sayin :P**

First Date, Birthdays and White Day

In the weeks following Ryan's confession, he was happy to have spent so much time with Lire, though they weren't officially dating just yet. Ryan felt it was better to wait until after testing and White Day, which was coming up fast, since Lire's parents would make her buckle down and focus on getting good grades. Lire could only agree, though she would drag Ryan to study sessions with her friends, to which he was surprised that Lass joined them. The usually silent boy merely pointed out that Arme dragged him there every time, and that was more than enough information for Ryan.

They always studied at Lire's house which, much to Ryan's amusement, was just shy of a mansion. He knew her family was well known, but he hadn't thought they'd be rich either! He also learned that Lire was extremely modest and didn't take compliments very well. She always blushed and stuttered whenever he complimented her on anything, which made her seem all the cuter in his eyes. However, just because they were allowed in her house, her parents had a strict rule about boys in their daughter's room, especially their daughter's not quite boyfriend.

Ryan sighed as they settled down at the table in the dining room which, like much of the house, was grand. The table, much like the rest of the wooden furniture he had see, was made of Mahogany and polished to perfection, there were two tall wooden structures he hadn't seen before that held all manner of exotic dishes from porcelain tea sets to classic earthenware plates and bowl with delicate floral designs. Above the table was a beautiful chandelier that held 18 shimmering crystals that gave off a beautiful light.

Lire watched Ryan as he walked around the room, marveling at the contents of the room. She smiled faintly as he silently oohed at a vase that sat in a lonely corner covered in a later of dust. She made her way over to him, curious what he liked about it. It was rather plain to her, and the artwork was unfinished. "It was supposed to be for my Nana before she passed away. Mother's a painter, you see." She said. Ryan looked up, smiling. "You like it?"

Ryan nodded, a grin on his face as he stared back at the vase. "I don't recognize the flowers, but I think they're beautiful. It's a shame your mom didn't get to finish it. I'm sure it'd look really pretty along with the other vases you have." Ryan commented. Lire smiled and nodded her agreement. Do you think your mom would finish it if we asked? I'd like to see it finished some day."

"We'll see. But for now, let's stop trying to avoid homework and study, hm?" Lire smiled sweetly as she dragged a displeased Ryan back to the table. He was sure he'd have been found out eventually, but he was starting to wish he had gone to a different room now while she wasn't paying attention. It wasn't that he didn't like studying, he just didn't see what any of the stuff they were learning would help him in the long run. He was going to be a Sentinel, like his dad, so all he really needed to learn was hunting, herbology, and ancient remedies. _Oh well,_ he thought as he looked at Lire, who was concentrating on teaching him something in math. He smiled. _I suppose moments like these are worth it, at least._ Without realizing, Ryan lost focus and leaned his head against hers as she spoke and took her free hand in his own.

"...ten bucks says once she notices she'll run and hide in her room." Arme said, staring amusedly at the couple across from her.

"Double it." Lass spoke quietly, not looking up from his textbook. "Double says he'll notice first and try to play it off."

"I'm with Lass on this one, midget." Elesis nodded. However, if either of them noticed, they didn't show it and just continued doing their homework in silence, broken only by Ryan asking for help or Lire explaining to the boy how to solve a problem he was having trouble with. In the end, the bets were called off, as the three soon lost interest in them. Once the three had started doing their work again, Ryan and Lire looked at at one another and mouthed a silent thanks to the other before going back to work.

X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X

As the weeks passed and Lire spent more time with Ryan, she came to see things the way he did, and sometimes caught herself mimicking him. At lunch, they ate together out in the yard beneath his favorite tree and she would talk about all the plans she had for her future, which mainly consisted of traveling, flowers, children, more flowers and settling down some place peaceful outside of Bermesiah. "Perhaps Eruyell Island, where my family's from. I heard mom say it's a beautiful place that's been untouched for centuries, so there's bound to be plenty of nature around." Lire thought aloud, though in the end, she got the expected result. Ryan's eyes popped open as he heard the word nature and she smiled down at him in her lap. "Also, I asked my mother about the flower on the vase you liked. She says she doesn't know, but it's a medicinal plant. Nana used to keep some with her all the time when I was younger."

"Must be because she had such an active grand daughter." Ryan said with a light grin. Lire did her best to put on an innocent face, but all of that shattered when he said, "That reminds me, we haven't gone on a date yet, huh? Do you have any plans this weekend?"

"W-well no, but-"

"Great! I'll pick you up around 3 then and we'll go explore town for something to do." he said, grinning. Just then, the bell rang and the boy hopped up, planting a soft kiss on Lire's nose, making her blush. "Can't wait. I'll see you in class!" After that, he promptly collected their trash and threw it away before hurrying to his next class, gym.

"...I was going to spend the weekend sewing your gift." Lire mumbled, rubbing her nose with a wistful smile. She stood up and stretched before heading to the school building with a slight smile. "Oh well. At least I'll be doing something fun. It'll be my first date though..."

However, Lire didn't go to class, a first for her, though she felt she had a perfectly good reason for it. You see, Ryan's birthday was in 3 weeks, two days before White Day, and she wanted to at least give him something he'll use later on in life, but she didn't have much time to work on it, since a lot of her time was spent either studying with him, or just hanging out with him and her friends. But he was right, they never did have the chance to go on a date. An official date, anyway. But she supposed that could wait. Her first stop was the infirmary to consult with the nurse, Tammy.

The woman in question smiled impishly at Lire as she, blushing furiously, asked for Ryan's measurements. "You sure you don't just want one _specific _measurement?" The older woman all but purred, narrowing her eyes knowingly at the blonde girl. Needless to say, her blush flared to new heights as she caught on to the woman's meaning and shook her head vigorously, earning a slight chuckle from the woman as she handed over the file. She, however, became serious as Lire took hold of it, and her eyes flashed almost menacingly. "You realize I could lose my job for giving you this, right?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"And you're not planning something nefarious, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"Good. I want this back when you're done. You have a week." And with that, and a cheeky grin, Nurse Tammy released the file and watched as Lire walked out of the infirmary. "Try not to do anything too naughty!" She called just before the door closed, chuckling when she heard a slight thump on the wall. Ah, how she loved teasing the younger folks.

Lire, on the other hand, groaned as her blush refused to die down. She rather liked Nurse Tammy, but her teasing got a little out of hand. She couldn't even count how many times she had been the butt of the woman's jokes. Not that she really minded though. Still, she hurried to put everything away and called her mother.

"Mom, I need you to buy a few things for me. Can you leave them in my room? I need-"

xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx

The week passed by rather quickly for Ryan, who didn't seem to notice that much was going on, except that he didn't get to see much of Lire except during lunch break and whatever classes they had together. He frowned at the thought that maybe she was avoiding him, but put it out of his mind as the day he had been waiting for finally arrived.

His date with Lire. His FIRST date. He was so excited he hadn't slept the night before and even now, as he waited for her outside her gate, he still couldn't believe it. He smacked himself though, realizing he could be using the time to think of something to do, but he honestly didn't care. He was spending time with Lire! He didn't notice the girl was standing behind him until he heard a soft giggle and saw her standing there in the exact same clothes she wore when she has visited him in the hospital. "Shall we get going? I hope you don't mind, but I have to make a quick stop to order some fabric."

"No, it's not a problem. I didn't know you could sew." Ryan muttered as Lire grabbed onto his arm and started pulling him down the street. They were quiet for a while, but the silence was in no way uncomfortable or awkward. At least, for Ryan anyway. He was just glad that the girl was here now and was smiling. But one thing failed to leave his mind. What did she need the fabric for? Was she making a curtain or something? He wanted to ask, but felt she'd be cryptic and say it was a secret or something.

"You wanna know that bad?" Lire asked, looking up at the boy who hadn't realized he was frowning. As if caught, he smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Well, I can't tell you that. You'll just have to wait and see."

"I knew it.." Ryan grumbled, earning another light giggle from Lire. "So, where do you wanna go after we're done with your errand?"

"Let's just see where the day takes us, hm?" Lire said, beaming at Ryan who nodded dumbly. And so, their date officially began. As they stopped at the fabric store, Ryan took the time to look around, though he didn't actually touch anything. There were so many fabrics and so many colors and designs that it didn't seem at all as dull and quiet as it was physically. The selection wasn't all that bad, Ryan guessed, though he couldn't say for sure. He was a hunter, not a seamstress. He made his way back to Lire who seemed distressed about something. He knew she'd just tell him not to worry, so he didn't ask. "-well, price isn't a problem. I just want something durable yet comfortable and isn't as heavy as denim or leather."

"Hm, then how about-"

"I'll go get something from a vending machine. You want tea, right?" Ryan asked, getting the feeling he wasn't supposed to see whatever it was he was about to witness, Lire nodded, though was too lost in thought to do much else. Ryan nodded, understanding. "I'll be right back then."

X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X

Lire stretched as she exited the shop, thoroughly exhausted mentally, but was glad to see that Ryan had stuck around after all. She was afraid that she had chased him away. "I'm sorry I took so long! I had a hard time figuring out which fabric was best!" Lire wailed dramatically, flopping down beside the boy and taking the bottle of tea from his outstretched hand. She downed half the bottle in seconds.

"Tired?" Ryan asked, though he could see it clearly on her face. She looked beat. Without a word, or waiting for a reply, he picked her up and carried her home in his arms. The only time he sat her down was as they arrived at her doorstep and she needed to unlock the door. He picked her up again right after, taking her up to her room and laying her on the bed, removing her sandals wordlessly.

"You didn't have to carry me, you know.." Lire grinned as Ryan let out a heavy sigh and lay down next to her. "But I'm happy you did. You shouldn't strain yourself though. I'm sure I'm not nearly as light as you thought."

"It's fine. You looked like you could use a break, and I didn't want you walking around so exhausted. So it;s not a problem." Ryan spoke, waving off the girl's concern. Both teens smiled. "Guess we'll spend our first date in your bed, huh? It's so comfy!"

"It's a sleep number bed. They're pretty popular, it seems. My mom got me one after I complained about not being able to get any sleep about two years back. It's been much easier since then, and I don't wake up with stiff shoulders either. It's pretty amazing." Lire explained. Ryan nodded, though his eyes had steadily closed as she spoke. _Guess I'm not the only tired one..._ Lire though, smiling wider as Ryan began snoring softly. As gently as possible, she sat up and climbed out off the bed, going instead to the room next to hers and began working as quietly as possible. Before long, however, she too was fast asleep.

She woke only briefly as strong arms picked her up, catching a glimpse of a blonde beard before she was out like a light, clinging tightly to a rather large teddy bear that snored lightly. Unconsciously, she snuggled closer and wouldn't let go.

The second time she woke, she was all alone. It was well after midnight, and Ryan was nowhere in sight. She figured he must've gone home, it was pretty late anyway. She looked at the alarm clock situated by her bed and yawned. It read 12:25 in the morning. Groggily, she climbed out of bed and went next door, to find her mother working on taking apart the clothes she was working on. Normally she would fuss about it, but she had a feeling she had a good reason. "Where'd I mess up?" Lire asked sleepily.

Rather than say anything, the older woman simply continued to work. Lire decided to do the same, grateful that her mother had finally decided to do something with her for once.

As the weeks passed by, Lire lost more and more sleep as the day she had anticipated and dreaded drew nearer. She wasn't sure if she'd finish in time, even with her mother's help, and she panicked a little more inside the less time she spent with Ryan. So much so that she began fidgeting in class, and spaced out so often that she'd spend a whole period staring into space, drumming her fingers on her desk or biting her lip and shifting in her seat every three minutes. Ryan was worried about her, but every time he approached her, she'd hurry away.

"What'd you do?" Arme asked one day, frowning somewhat at the boy who could only shrug. "The way she's acting, one would think you did something stupid like trying to sleep with her and now she thinks you've got the plague."

"Wha? I would ne-"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, nature boy. I'm just worried about my friend. YOUR girlfriend. Go say something to her!"

"...you don't think I've tried? Every time I touch her shoulder she flinches away from me and runs the other way! How the hell can I talk to her when she won't even let me near her?" Ryan said, rolling his eyes. Silence fell between them as they sat there, unsure of what to do. "I'm gonna go talk to Ele. Maybe she has an idea of what to do."

"I wouldn't. She and Ronan are in the middle of something. You'd just get hurt if you walked in now." Arme warned. Ryan sighed. _Now what?_ He grumbled. "By the way, isn't it your birthday tomorrow?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Ryan asked. Arme simply grinned, which to the taller boy spelled trouble. Arme was a known prankster, but she was also a decent person, he supposed. He couldn't help but think that he should expect some sort of trick though. Especially if it was Arme who was giving him the gift. Still, he shrugged it off and went to lunch, frowning as he thought that he might not get to spend it with Lire.

What surprised him, however, was that she DID show up at their favorite spot. She smiled sheepishly up at him as he approached slowly, confused. "I'm sorry for acting so weird lately," She started quietly, looking back down at her untouched lunch. Ryan sat down next to her and waved off her concern with a gentle smile. "It's just that-" She was cut off by a spoonful of curry, which she ate, and tried speaking again, only to get the same result.

"If you have time to feel guilty, you have time to eat. Besides, it's fine. I was just worried I did something to upset you. Since you're here, and not somewhere else, I take it I haven't." Ryan spoke kindly, earning a light chuckle from Lire. "So, what's got you so fidgety? If something's stressing you out, you can tell me."

"Actually, I can't just yet. Sorry..." Lire said. Ryan sighed, but dismissed it. If that's the way it had to be, then fine. He could live with that. Lire smacked his arm roughly. "It's not what you think! All I'm gonna be able to tell you is that I won't be here tomorrow. Anything else I say would be dangerous."

"Dangerous how?" Ryan asked, suddenly suspicious. Lire smiled, but shook her head. "Well, I'm just happy I can finally talk to you. You had us worried, you know." Ryan pulled Lire into a hug before letting her go. "Next time, talk to us when you get stressed, even if you can't tell us what for. At least we can take your mind off of it for a while."

Then the lunch bell rang, signaling the end of whatever moment Ryan had been trying to create. But one thing was for sure, he was in a much better mood now.

X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X

Ryan grumbled as he walked home in silence. Lass had refused to walk with him because he had somewhere to be, Aerknard lived in the opposite direction and Ronan commuted from the next town over. Jin refused because he wanted to hear Amy sing some more, Zero was arguing with Gran and so had tuned the world out, and Ryan was too afraid to approach Dio that he completely passed the boy by, not even realizing that the boy had been looking for him exclusively. He stopped by Lire's house just in case she had been home all day. He wanted to check on her and see if she was okay, but her parents had said she hadn't been home all day. _Where could she have gone? _ He wondered, absently kicking a rock as he walked down the trail leading home. _Her cell's off, she hasn't been home yet, and I can't get a hold of Elesis or Arme..._

Soon, the cabin came into view, and sighing, Ryan unlocked the door and opened the door, causing all of the bodies huddled into in to spill out and grin sheepishly up at him. "...what the hell is this?" Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, though not in anger. Elesis, Arme, Lire, Lass, Jin and Zero all lay in a pile right in front of him, though out of them all, only Lire smiled. "How did you get in my house?"

"Your dad let us in. He said it was okay, so long as we weren't too loud." Lire explained, crawling from beneath the mass of bodies to hug her boyfriend and place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Happy birthday, Ryan. I didn't expect you back so early. We're not done setting up for the party."

"...party?"

"Mhm. It was supposed to be a surprise party, that's why I wasn't at school today. Since you're here, I might as well give you my present." Lire released him and walked back into the cabin, coming back out moments later with a rather large gift. "This is just the first part of it though. Your dad has the other part. Open it."

Ryan did just that, neatly peeling off the bright orange wrapping paper to reveal...a box. Yes, a box. But it wasn't just any box. A big box, with a lid that came off the box that revealed on the inside...clothes. Ryan furrowed his brow a bit, but as he inspected it, he was rather shocked. "These are..."

"Yup! I did some research on your tattoos and found out the lore behind them. I won't bore you with the details, but these clothes, along with your tattoos mark you as a Sentinel, right? You did say you wanted to protect the forests, so there's nothing more fitting than these." Lire said, grinning. Ryan was speechless. Inside the box, as you heard Lire explain, were five things: a headband with two large boar tusks on it, a vest that stopped at and framed his ribs and showed off the tattoos on his stomach, a pair of gloves, a pair of sandals and pants with the same markings he had on his ankles. "Wanna try them on?"

"S-sure..." Ryan said, feeling Lire already pushing him gently toward the cabin. Ryan didn't come our for quite a while. He took to staring at himself in the mirror as he was fully clothed, a faint smile on his face as he inspected himself. He had to admit, he looked pretty good, despite his untamed hair. So wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed Lire sneak up behind him, nor did he feel her arms around him until he saw her face pop up on his shoulder with a broad grin plastered on it.

"Lookin' good." She remarked, winking at his reflection. Ryan blushed, but thanked her for the clothes, "It's no big deal. I have my mom to thank though. I was rushing to get them done in time that I screwed up several times. She took everything apart and forced me to try again, and you see the result."

"Still, they're really good. And comfortable. You did good, Lire." Ryan complimented, this time making her blush. Turning around in her arms, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "I do believe we have an unfinished party to celebrate?"

"Indeed, we do."

xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx

The following week was rather eventful for the young couple. Since Ryan's birthday was two days before White Day, he decided to do something extra special for Lire and spent the next day day absent from school. What exactly he did was kept a secret, and Zero, who had become the boy's confidant, simply replied with, "Gran says I shouldn't say. As his friend, a secret shared is supposed to be kept unless he says it's okay to tell." Much to Lire's annoyance, he was right, and she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. She thanked the boy and started to walk off, before he added, "If you ask me though, you must really mean a lot to him, even after barely a month."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Gran says not to say any more." Zero spoke, grinning as he walked away humming softly.

The rest of the day was much the same, no one would tell her where Ryan was nor what he was up to, though she was sure she'd like whatever he had in store for her. She send him several text messages during lunch, but the only time he replied was to tell her that he missed her too and he needed more time. Shew had asked him what for, but he said nothing else after that.

That night, as she lay in bed, Lire couldn't help but wonder what would take up so much of his time that he'd miss a whole day of school. He even ignored her various texts after lunch. N-not that she was totally bored when he wasn't around or anything! She just didn't like not knowing if he was okay! S-so don't get the wrong idea! **(A/N: Fail Tsundere attempt~ :D...I think. You be the judge. I guess.)**

Lire couldn't sleep at all that night. She lay in bed, thinking far too much about whatever it was Ryan was doing that she hadn't noticed she didn't sleep a wink until her mom came to wake her up to get ready for school. She groggily went through her morning routine, meeting up with Arme and Elesis on the way to school.

X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X

As the girls arrived at school, they were surprised to see Ryan waiting at the gate for them, or rather Lire. The first thing he did when he saw her was smile, then pull her into a crushing hug. "Did you miss me?" He teased, whispering in her ear. Lire nodded though, hugging him back just as tightly before he placed something in her hair. "It took me forever to find something decent that you would've liked, and twice as long to actually make you something. You'll see when we get to class. Shall we?"

Lire smiled and took his arm, wondering what sort of surprise could be waiting for her.

What she hadn't counted on, was the entire classroom being cleared of chairs and desks, and several boys, much like Ryan himself she finally noticed, were dressed in white. In order there stood Lass, Jin, Ronan, Aerknard, Zero and Rufus, though he looked as sour as ever. The only one not dressed in white was Dio, and he stood in the center of them, his amaranth clothes a stark contrast to the scene that was meant to reflect purity. Each boy had a white flower in his hair as well, like Lire herself, and much like her, their respective girlfriends stood in shock.

"...Rufus has a girlfriend?" Arme wondered out loud, earning a soft chuckle from the others, but a nonchalant wave of his hand as he ignored the girl. "I wonder who she is?"

"Oretina. She goes to a different school. I met her once, only not in the way I was expecting." Lass muttered, smirking as Rufus glared at him. "Well, if you'd learn to keep it in your pants or at least keep her quiet, dear _brother_ I wouldn't have thought you were trying to strangle the poor girl."

There was a deathly silence before Rufus and Lass erupted from the classroom, Lass nimbly dodging the enraged Senior's attempts to murder him with school supplies. Everyone blinked a few times before bursting into laughter, even Dio.

"But still," Lire started, gesturing around the immaculately decorated room draped in white and flowers. Somewhere music was playing softly as well. "What is all this? Did you plan all this yourself?"

"It was Ronan's idea, but I gathered the flowers and convinced the teachers to give us two periods off. I sorta lied and said it was your birthday." Ryan spoke sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and chuckling softly. Without another word, he took Lire's hand in his own and bowed. "May I have this dance, birthday girl?"

Needless to say, it was a very good day.

Except for Rufus, who hadn't managed to catch Lass at all.

**A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter (as you can obviously tell) and I think I make this a little longer. It's just too fun. XD I think some Rufus fans might be a little... -prepares to dodge like a ninja- So yeah. Reviews gets you apple gummies- /shot**


	5. A First Kiss

**Disclaimer: Elesis had better be glad I don't own GC- -runs for dear life-**

A First Kiss

Lire sighed, rolling up her sleeves as she prepared to get some work done finally. It had only been two days since she invited her friends to stay with her while her parents were away on their sixth honeymoon, but those two days turned not just her room, but much of the mansion into one giant mess. Ryan, bless his soul, had tried to keep things under control, but was instantly steam rolled by Elesis and Arme. She couldn't help but laugh at that memory. He was a good kid, she had to give him that, but even Lire knew that Lire's house to her best friends meant no rules. She just hadn't tried to contain the two girls cause she knew they'd have done the same thing to her.

Speaking of Ryan, she hadn't seen him all morning. It was now mid afternoon and she had yet to see the orange haired Sentinel anywhere. She shrugged, thinking that maybe he was still trying to get things under control. Picking up the bucket and rag, she headed upstairs to the second floor to start cleaning up the mess. What she saw though, were four tired looking males passed out at various spots on the floor. What's more, it was clean! Ryan, Jin, Ronan and Zero looked really tired, and she couldn't blame them. There were no maids to speak of, so Lire usually cleaned up when her parents were gone. And considering she lived in a mansion...just one floor was tough enough, even for her.

Setting her bucket down and kneeling beside her boyfriend, she gently shook him awake. "Come on, you'll catch a cold if you sleep out here." She spoke gently, pulling the tired boy to his feet and helping him into the nearest guest room. She did the same with the others as well, before going to clean down stairs. In the distance she could hear Arme and Elesis bickering, as always and shook her head. She loved those two, but you'd think that after so many years together they'd grow up and try to get along. "Or maybe they do, and their arguing is their way of showing it?" Lire mused. Whatever the case, it was amusing for the blonde to watch, so she just let them do what they want.

About an hour passed before she heard the first signs of life coming from upstairs. She stopped cleaning and looked up, seeing Arme yawning and stretching. "Mind helping me clean up, shorty?" Lire asked softly with a slight smile. Without skipping a beat, Arme slowly ascended the stairs without turning around, causing Lire to pout and huff. "Well fine. Guess that means no sweets for you today. I'll just give them all to Lass."

Lire had never seen Arme move so fast before in all her 17 years of life.

"Please tell me that was just a joke!" Arme whispered sharply, grabbing the front of Lire's shirt in both of her tiny hands and drawing the girl close. Lire grinned inwardly. She knew why Arme was so freaked out, even if Elesis didn't. A common lie they told her was that he was allergic. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Sweets of any kind, mostly chocolate, made the silverette hyper. And a hyper Lass was not something anyone could handle. This had been proven once before. "Lire please tell me we're not gonna have a repeat of 3rd grade!"

"Calm down, calm down. It was the easiest way to get you down stairs. Go make lunch for everyone. They should be waking up soon." Lire said, removing the girl's hands and straightening her shirt. Arme grumbled, not at all pleased to have been tricked, but did as she was told. Aside from Lire, Arme was a good cook though not as good as the blonde who sighed with a bright grin on her face. "Okay! Where to next?"

"I dunno, but I'd say I like the view from back here." A voice said from behind her. Startled, Lire turned around to see Elesis' cousin Aerknard leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, a slight perverted grin on his face. Lire blushed and frowned at the boy. "Hey now, no need for the look, Goldilocks. I was just admirin' the view, not hitting on you."

"Please refrain from sneaking up behind me or "admiring" any view of me of any kind." Lire spoke, keeping her voice even as her blush flared. She never could handle the older boy's teasing for long, he always found things to compliment her for or said such perverted things that she often thought he might never stop. "And stop giving me strange nicknames. It's annoying."

"Whatever you say, Goldilocks." He responded coolly, his grin never once faltering as he lightly brushed past her. "By the way, you two have never kissed before, have you?"

"Wha- you- how- o-of course we have!" Lire nearly screeched, feeling her blush flare once again. She hid her face in her hands and shook her head vigorously. "I-it's none of your business anyway!"

"...I'll take that as you haven't."

"Sh-shut it you!"

"Such a shame too-"

"I said be quiet!"

"-cause if I were him, I'd make people wonder why your lips were so bruised." he finished, watching as the girl's blush flared yet again to new heights. His grin flashed with a hint of mischief as he moved in closer, backing the younger girl into the wall, trapping her with his arms on either side of her head. "What do you say, Goldi? Care to-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Elesis nonchalantly brought her wooden sword down atop the older boy's head with a none too happy look. "Leave her alone, you! She has a boyfriend and you're already seeing someone." She scowled, jumping back as the older boy whirled on her, teeth clenched. After a few moments, he sighed, rubbing his head. "Giving up so soon? I didn't know you were such a chicken, _Zeke._"

"Just wait till we go home, Red." He spoke calmly, grinning at lire and winking before walking away. Lire blushed and Elesis glared at the older boy's retreating form before shrugging.

"Come on, let's go for a walk."

X xx X xx X xx X xx X xx

Lire sighed as she and Elesis sat down on the swings at a park they used to play together at when they were younger. "Thanks for rescuing me.." Lire murmured, looking down at her feet. Ever since they were kids, Elesis had always been the one to save her from Aerknard, even back when they were kids. He would always tease her if he had the chance, and each time, she would never know what to say or do to make him go away. Mostly because she knew he was right every time.

"Geez, you're really weak willed when it comes to him, you know that? If you don't grow a pair, he's gonna keep at it y'know." Elesis sighed as well and shook her head. "Well, whatever. He's my cousin, so I'll keep helping you out if you need me, but I'm not always gonna be here to save your ass. And neither will Arme. Or Ryan."

Lire grimaced. It wasn't like she was weak willed or anything, and she knew Elesis was right as well. Lire could stand up for herself, had been doing so since she could remember. There was just something about Aerknard though, that made her feel helpless when he teased her. It was like he knew what buttons to press to turn her from the strong, confident person she was and reduce her back to the same weak kneed crybaby she had been when she first met the older boy.

She was grateful to Elesis, who had always stood up for her when she used to get bullied, who would get cuts and scrapes from wrestling older boys because she didn't like how they treated her friends. She loved the brash, hot headed dork her friend was. She was strong, confident, and spoke her mind no matter what people thought of her. If someone didn't like her, she shrugged it off and moved on. She was cool despite her many flaws. Sometimes, Lire envied her.

Ruby eyes suddenly came into view as the girl in question glared at Lire and rapped on her head roughly, earning a surprised yelp. "Good, your brain's working. I asked you if you were hungry, your stomach's been screaming for food for a bit." As if to prove her right, Lire did indeed hear her stomach growl and she blushed a bit. She nodded, too embarrassed to say anything. Elesis chuckled. "Well c'mon. I still have some money from my summer allowance, so let's get you some cake and tea."

"Sounds good." Lire said with a smile.

X xxx X xxx X xxx X xxx X xxx

"Lire! Where were you!" Was the first thing she head before a blur of green and orange tackled her to the ground outside and crushing her in a tight hug. Dazed and confused, she wanted to squirm and scream for help, but didn't want to cause a scene, so she waited until she no longer saw stars to assess what just happened. Looking down at the person holding her, she was met with the cutest teary eyed pout she has ever seen. She giggled softly and smiled. "I missed you.."

"I missed you too, Ryan, but you were sleep and I didn't want to wake you. Now can you get up? You're squishing me." She spoke. Ryan was on his feet in an instant and helping her up the next. As he got to work dusting her off, she smiled faintly. "What did you do after you woke up?"

"Look for you."

"..you're like a cute puppy, you know that?"

"Then you're an adorable kitten."

"I can think of worse cute nicknames for you, y'know."

"And I'll barricade myself in your room and rummage through all your clothes."

"I'll rip you a new one if you even try~" Lire said sweetly, grabbing her boyfriend's head in both her hands and turning his face towards her. He froze near instantly at the sweet smile she gave him. He knew that smile. Bad things happened when she used that smile and that tone together. He gulped as her eyes opened a fraction, transforming that sweet smile into a sinister one, her green eyes piercing through him and freezing his insides. Ryan gulped. "Care to take back that threat?"

Ryan nodded vigorously, words escaping him as they got caught in his throat. In an instant, that look transformed into a genuine smile as she pat his cheeks with both hands and chuckled lightly, skipping past him. Elesis tried to hold hack her laugh, but wound up snickering anyway. A small giggle left her as she stared at the dumbfounded boy and clapped him on the back roughly. "When it comes to a lady's dresser, you shouldn't make such jokes. Especially Lire's. Ever been curious why there's no maids or butlers?"

"Just a bit, yeah. Did something happen?"

"Lire happened. The first butler she had, got a little...creepy and would steal her underwear. She broke his arm in four places when she found out. The next one after that had his fingers bent awkwardly, and the next two after that...let's just say she's known for making grown men cry if they touch her underwear." Ryan nodded, feeling lucky he had gotten on with a scary look. "Next time, go with a kiss. She'll melt if you bring it up."

Leaving him with just that bit of advice, Elesis winked at him and whistled something she had heard on the radio as she sauntered after her friend, almost expecting Ryan to stop her and ask her more. When he didn't, she chuckled softly, but continued her pace. She knew her friend well, so she could guess how she'd be reacting right about now, and probably would for a while.

xx X xx X xx X xx X xx X

As she had guessed, Lire was sitting on her bed hugging her pillow in a death grip and hiding her face, most likely blushing or hating herself for the look she gave Ryan. Evil Lire, as they called that side of her, was not something she liked people seeing, least of all him. And the fact that he would threaten to go through her underwear was especially embarrassing for her as well, for many reasons. "Please let me suffocate myself in peace..." Lire's muffled voice replied, not even looking up to see who it was.

"I can't do that, sadly. You see, after all this time, I finally came to terms with something. Something important I need to tell you. So, can you show me your pretty little face one last time?" Elesis spoke dramatically, her voice low and quivering as well. Inside she was smirking. Lire was a sucker when it came to her dramatics. Probably because she learned not to be as obvious with it, unlike Arme. Lire tensed at Ele's words but refused to look up. "Lire, please. I need to tell you face-to-face."

"No. You can tell me just like this." She said, but Elesis noticed how her arms loosened and she shifted slightly. She sat on the bed in front of the girl and gently raised the girl's face to be level with her own and smiled sadly. Lire looked on the verge of tears, however, and Elesis felt a little bad. It took a lot to make the girl cry, but when she was already distressed about something, like she was now, she cracked easily. "Is it serious?"

"I'm afraid so." Elesis spoke softly, nodding. Lire hugged her tightly then and Elesis returned the gesture, though after a while, she eased the girl back to her spot. "You know that I love you right? You're my best friend, my closest friend. You were always by my side when I needed someone, and right now, you're all I can turn to.."

"W-what about Ronan? Does he know?" Lire asked, on the verge of panicking.

"He wouldn't understand. In fact, if I told him, it'd only hurt him." Elesis said, moving closer to the blond girl before her. "Because what I have to say is...something I've been holding in for a while. Something I can't hide from anymore." As she advanced, Lire blushed furiously and scooted away, but Elesis kept advancing until Lire was trapped, her blush spreading rapidly and darkening as Elesis loomed over her with a slight grin. As she leaned herself against Lire, who turned her face away, Elesis pouted. "Why won't you look at me when I say this?"

"B-because...I-I don't-"

Elesis chuckled , placing a soft kiss on Lire's cheek before scooting away quickly, to avoid the girl's angry glare and a slap aimed at her face. "It got you to stop trying to smother yourself at least. Seriously, what the hell was up with that?" Outside the door, there was a faint thud and three muffled voices muttering their disapproval. Elesis shrugged.

"E-ele! That was mean! I seriously thought that you..."

"That I was in love with you? Lire, you're my best friend and I do love you, but you have Ryan and I have Ronan. I gave up on you a long time ago." She chuckled, waving off the girl's confusion. However, at her last comment, she noticed Lire's eyes widen a fraction. She shrugged and decided not to say any more. "Anyway, you still haven't kissed Ryan, right? Why not?"

"I-I was always too nervous.." Lire admitted, blushing yet again. She stared down at her hands and twiddled her thumbs. Elesis shook her head. Her friend had a lot to learn..

xx X xx X xx X xx X

As summer break slow wound by, the days were never boring for the blond girl, who seemed to have become the care taker of her gathered group of friends, dubbed her crazies by Lass who was the much calmer one. Somehow Rufus was mixed into the group as well, despite his many protests to not want to come, and along with him came Dio, Ley and Rin, all of whom fit in quite well with the group, despite their unwillingness to join in.

Rin especially was hesitant, as she was new to town and was intimidated by Arme's persistence. As she got comfortable though, she was soon integrated into the group and became like a second mother to them all, Lire being the first, apparently. Rin was a sweet girl who loved to read and spend her time talking to the others, mostly Lire and Ryan, when the couple had managed to get some time alone. She was kind, patient and gentle, but could be twice as crazy as all of them if angered, one thing Aerknard had found out by accident.

Ley, on the other hand, was largely a part of the fights that occurred between the others, especially her boyfriend Dio and his "mortal enemy" Aerknard. She was mostly calm though, and never got directly involved in things, rather she would send her butler, Jeeves into the fray. She also brought her very evil pet poodle Mary with her as well, and that was one pet that had even Dio running for his life at times. Was it funny as hell to watch? Yes. However everyone learned to never laugh when Mary chased someone, because you would be the next target.

Rufus was quiet, keeping mostly to himself and texting his girlfriend or simply reading random gun magazines he ordered. He was mostly calm as well, until Lass started teasing him. If there was anyone who could make his temper flare in less than three seconds, it was his half-brother, and Lire always had a huge mess to clean up as the two boys chased each other around the mansion shouting obscenities and death threats. Several times she had to explain to the police that her friends had been joking when they said those things, and after each time, both both hung their heads and held their ears as she scolded them and pulled their ears in punishment.

All in all, it was fun, and there was only one way to end summer break that she could think of. "We're going to Silverland's famous resort!" She announced to the group, holding out the tickets and waving them dramatically. Everyone stared at her for a moment, blinking in both confusion and surprise. Lire slowly caught on and coughed, blushing softly. "Y-yes, I realize it's a couple's resort and a lot of the things there are...adult, but it's the closest place to the beach and I wanna see the ocean at least once before summer ends! So we're going to this resort and you're gonna like it!"

"...How are we getting there?" Arme asked.

"I already have that covered." Was Lire's reply.

"When do we leave?" Elesis asked.

"As soon as you all pack, which I expect to be done in an hour because our boat leaves in three."

"Lass and Rufus get seasick though, so..." Rin replied, looking at both boys whose faces turned a little green. Lire sighed.

"Well, there's no other way to Silverland, so they'll have to deal with it." Lire responded sweetly, ending the conversation there. Everyone set out to do the tasks they were ordered to do while Lire and Rin prepared snacks. Elesis was left in charge of Lire's packing since she had made it clear to Ryan that she'd seriously injure him if he even peeked at her shirts. All In all, it was busy for the next hour and by the time they were out the door, Lass was ready to leave and go home.

"Oh come on, you big chicken. I'll even lay with you in bed and take good care of you." Arme rolled her eyes. Lass's only response was yet another groan and a failed attempt to saunter away without being noticed. Rufus noticed though, and got in the way of the boy as he tried to sneak off.

The trip was rather uneventful and full of Lass and Rufus moaning in bed about how they wished the boat would hurry up and get there, but Lire spent a majority of her time with Ryan, holding onto him tightly as they stood at the front of the ship and stared out across the ocean for hours. Rin and Arme sunbathed by the pool, Zero, Dio, Aerknard and Ronan played water polo and Ley spent most of her time terrorizing Sebastian and making the young boy scream for his life. Dio ignored the boy, however, much to his butler Alfred's annoyance. Once, Ley even managed to throw Sebastian overboard to see if Dio would react angrily and yell at her. He merely looked at the drowning boy once and went back to doing what he had been before. Alfred managed to save the small boy, but lectured Dio to take better care of him in the future.

Upon their arrival, Lire rushed everyone to the resort to check in and get their room assignments before she rushed them to get changed and to the beach in record time. Lire was ecstatic to finally be at the beach. Lass and Rufus stayed safely on land where they ground fight to their heart's content, Rin fended off random guys who tried hitting on her, and Arme spent most of her time reading and sunbathing with Elesis. Ronan and Ryan built sand castles, Aerknard and Dio fought like always and Ley chased random strangers with Mary at their heels. Lire joined her friends after making sure everyone was alright, before realizing someone was missing.

"Where's Zero?" She asked, looking over at Elesis who shrugged, never looking up from her book and Arme simply pointed in Rin's direction. All three girls looked over to see the gray haired boy staring blankly at the group of guys that had been surrounding Rin. She seemed to be trying to calm him down, or probably keep him from doing something, but it didn't seem to work as he attacked anyway, his blank expression changing to a heated glare.

"Sonofa-"

"Gran and I both think you shouldn't finish that sentence. You don't want to make me angry." Zero's voice came. "Now leave her alone, she said she wasn't interested."

"Zero-"

"C'mon. Gran wants me to leave before I hurt them more." And so, the boy grabbed Rin's hand and tugged her back to the group. Rin was stunned, as was Lire, but Elesis and Arme both shared knowing glances before turning back to their books. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...thanks." Rin nodded, blinking in surprise as the angry look left Zero's face and was replaced with a much more calm, relieved one. "You didn't have to come and do that though..i'm sure I could've convinced them to leave me alone."

Zero shrugged. "Maybe so, but Gran used to say never leave a damsel in distress alone. It's not very manly, apparently." He stated bluntly, shrugging once again. An awkward silence descended over them as Zero looked around at the others, looking for someone to join. "So..."

Rin chuckled. "How about we go get those juices I promised the others? You can help me carry them, mr. manly man." Rin giggled, taking Zero's arm and pulling him along. Lire watched them leave with a smile on her face. She turned back to her friends.

"I think Zero just got himself an admirer." she cooed. Elesis and Arme smirked, but said nothing.

As the day passed, Ryan dragged Lire away to go for a walk along the beach during sunset, and the young couple enjoyed the time together. They spent their time always holding hands, laughing at each other, and once Ryan even got a crab stuck on his toe. Lire tried not to laugh as he flailed about to get it off, falling on his butt in the water and pulling on the crab until it finally released his toe...only to grab onto his thumb instead. Ryan cursed and flailed some more, managing to throw the crustacean back into the depth of the ocean floor after a few minutes of wrestling with it to get it to let go.

"You could've helped, y'know." He pouted as Lire helped him up and took his hand again, kissing his thumb softly in apology. Ryan sighed and shook his head, but Lire smiled. "Hm? What's got you in a good mood all of a sudden?"

"Just being here with you. It's fun, because other than my parents or Elesis and Arme, I've never been able to come to places like this with someone before. Someone special. I guess I just think it's a little romantic, that's all." Lire blushed, smiling sheepishly at the boy next to her. "Is that weird?"

"No, not at all. Before today, I didn't even know what a beach even looked like, so I'm glad we came. Actually...i've been wanting to take a walk with you around sunset in the forest for a while. Deep in the forest, there's this lake that shimmers beautifully when the sun hits it just right, kind of like now." Ryan said, smiling almost wistfully. "Dad once told me a story as a kid, about a young man and his lover who ran away together to live in the forest just outside of town. They spent all their days together building themselves a home where they could be happy, where no one could tell them how to live their lives. The man spent many nights studying up on survival without the conveniences of the city, hunting, and even delivering a baby, should they decide to have one soon. After every day, they would sit together at the edge of that lake and talk, and once the sun hit that lake just right, they would kiss and look forward to yet one more day together."

"That's so romantic, yet so familiar."

"That's because it's about my mom and dad." Ryan chuckled, glancing sidelong at Lire who blushed again. She held onto his arm as she leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder. "You know, Zero trying to give you advice on how to kiss someone is really awkward.."

Lire laughed. "Really? How so?"

"...he's very descriptive and the way he describes it makes it a little scary." Ryan admitted, shrugging slightly. "But it's not scary at all, standing here with you. It's relaxing, and I admit my heart is pounding a little bit..."

"So now I'm scary?" Lire asked, feigning hurt as Ryan fumbled for words. She smiled softly at him and chuckled. "Calm down, I'm a little nervous too. I mean..it's my first kiss, and...i'm just really, really nervous. What if-"

"Just come here, dammit." Ryan rolled his eyes and grinned, turning to face her completely and pulling the girl flush against him, leaning her face up to face him and planting an awkward, yet gentle kiss on her lips. Lire blushed fiercely at the contact, but wrapped her arms around the boy and let him kiss her. That wasn't the only kiss they shared, in that moment, but it was the beginning of yet another side of her, one that only Ryan got to see.

But in that moment, she was happy, and nothing else mattered. Not even their friends who had all come to look for the young couple and bring them back to the resort. She was happy, and somehow, she knew that Ryan was as well.

**A/N: ehehehe...Umm...I'm sorry this took so long to update. What had happened was, I kinda sorta got hit with writer's block AND I had to rewrite this like...a BUNCH of times. I know towards the end it was nothing but dialogue and such, and I apologize for that. I at least threw in a bit of humor, right? RIGHT? I suck at humor ;3; so feel free to be as brutal as you want... anywho, look forward to the next chapter, and review! Good little boys and girls who do get apple gummies! Those who don't feel the wrath of Hyper Lass! :D**


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